The Case of the Missing Gold
by ladybug1115
Summary: It's 1946 and the Hardy Boys have found themselves in the middle of a major investigation. They find help in the form of Nancy Drew, Private Investigator.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**Author's Note:** Something I got from another book I'm reading (_Miss Fortune_ by Sara Mills.) Anyway, I figured…the books were being published then, why the Hell not?

**Disclaimer:** The author of this story (me) does not own the respective characters. She intends no copyright infringement.

_**-NDHB-**_

The two brothers looked at each other. They were used to working only with each other…hardly trusting any other person. Unfortunately, this wasn't their town. They needed someone with an idea of the criminal elements in this city.

They'd talked to the detective over the case…an idiot; he'd sent them to this address. The oldest brother turned to the door _N. Drew, Private Investigator_ it proclaimed. His brother observed, "Isn't there a Drew who's a lawyer around here?"

The oldest nodded, "This Drew may be his son."

"This is… Do we really need help?" demanded the hotheaded younger brother.

The more levelheaded brother simply opened the door. A young woman sat at the desk positioned in front of the windows. It was the only desk in the small office. A row of filing cabinets stretched across the right wall. On the left side of the room, a sofa took up most of the space.

The woman looked up. "Hello."

"Is Mr. Drew in?" the younger man questioned.

She shook her head, strawberry-blond curls brushing against her shoulders. "I'm Nancy Drew, Private Investigator." Her eyes scanned both young men, noting their weapons. "What can I help you with?"

_**-NDHB-**_

**A/N: **How's this?

~ladybug1115


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**Author's Note:** How do the brothers react? What is the case they need help on? Will our heroine help them? Also, I want to thank Mrs. Frank Hardy whose review reminded me I had put this story up on FFN already.

_**-NDHB-**_

Miss Nancy Drew, Private Investigator rose from her seat, but stayed behind the desk. Both men looked dumbfounded. Obviously they expected to see a man. She repeated her earlier question, "Can I help you?"

The dark-haired man finally replied, "I'm Frank Hardy and this is my brother, Joe. We are private investigators from New York. We were directed here by a Detective Shelby from the tenth precinct."

"Ahh. What are you working with Detective Shelby on, may I ask?"

Joe, the blond, scowled, "Frank, come on. We don't need the girl's help."

Nancy bristled. Frank must have noticed her reaction because he slapped his brother on the shoulder. He moved toward her desk and pulled one of the customer chairs out. Then, he forced his brother to sit in it before taking his own seat.

"Miss Drew," he started, "We're working on a case that started in New York. A woman came to us stating that she had been robbed. We then instructed her to contact the police, but there was little they could do." Frank tossed a file onto her desk.

He watched as she picked it up. It was a case file, of course, for this case. At the elder Mr. Hardy's nod, she opened the thick folder. Quickly, she skimmed the details. _It appears the woman duped the young detectives_. She met Frank's eyes again.

"Yes," he said, "she took off with the money. We met with the FBI and they allowed us to track her here. Unfortunately, we don't know enough of the city to further track her."

"Which is why," interrupted the younger man, "we _don't_ need your help. Come on, Frank, what's _she_ gonna help us do."

She met Frank's gaze, "Mr. Hardy, I would love to help you."

"Thank you, Miss Drew. If you'll excuse us for just a minute," Frank hauled his brother to his feet and led him out of the office. He closed the door behind them, but their voices still carried into the office.

"She's a …well a _she_, Frank!"

Frank laughed, "Yes, Joe, I know that _Miss_ Drew is a woman. My eyes work the same as yours. That doesn't mean we can't use her for information. That _is_ what we were doing here in the first place."

"I'm not saving her when she gets herself into trouble," Joe said opening the door and effectively ending the conversation.

Nancy forced herself to keep her features blank as the gentlemen returned from their "discussion" in the hallway. It was not unusual for men to doubt her investigative abilities. It had taken three different cases to convince Chief McGinnis of her abilities and she still had difficulty with the other police officials in town.

She buried her nose in the file they'd provided her. Neither man took back their seat, but they each lifted their hats from her desk.

Frank cleared his throat, "Miss Drew."

Nancy looked up. "Yes?" she asked.

"We're going back to our hotel. This is the number," he passed over a business card. His name and their office in New York were listed on the front. The phone number for their hotel and their room number was on the back.

Nancy slipped the card into her desk and pulled her own card out. "My number here at the office and my home number. I'll look over this tonight, but I do have my own cases to work."

Frank nodded; however, it was Joe who spoke, "We'll call you tomorrow morning to set up a meeting to discuss this further."

"That sounds fine," agreed Miss Drew. "It would be better for me if you could call before nine."

"Thank you," Frank responded.

After both men left, Nancy lifted the phone and called her father's office. She wanted confirmation on these men's identities before she allowed herself to become deeply involved in their investigation. "Hello, Carson Drew's office," Margaret greeted.

"Margaret, it's Nancy." She questioned, "Is my father in?"

"He is," assured the secretary. "I'll connect you."

After seconds, her father answered the phone, "Carson Drew speaking."

"Hi, Dad."

Since the death of Nancy's mother, Carson had been the only parent in Nancy's life. They had a very close relationship as the only women in Carson's life were his daughter, secretary, and housekeeper; Nancy really had no men in her life save her father and boyfriend.

"Nancy! To what do I owe this honor?" he questioned. "Usually we only have time to speak at Sunday night dinner."

Though he could not see her, Nancy nodded. "I need some information on some people and thought you might know of them."

"All right. But I'll have to know what you've gotten yourself involved in this week."

Nancy sighed, "I was only sitting at my desk, finishing paperwork for a case I just finished when I noticed two men standing outside the door to my office. I pulled my sidearm from the desk drawer, but waited until they entered.

Two young men, both around six feet entered eventually. They are both around my age; one has curly blond hair the other dark brown hair. The brown-haired man introduced himself as Frank Hardy and the other man as his brother Joe. They want information on the city and claim Detective Shelby sent them. Do you know anything about them?"

"I may," Carson admitted. "Did they mention their father?"

"No," her voice showed her confusion.

Carson explained, "I know a Fenton Hardy from New York. He's a private investigator."

_That would make sense_, Nancy thought. To her father, she added, "They told me that they are from New York. That's what their card says as well."

"I'll call Fenton and then call you back. Will you be in the office for the rest of the day?" asked her father.

Nancy replied, "I will. Today I'm only finishing reports. I have dinner tonight with Ned and his family, so I have to leave at five."

"I'll talk to you before five. Tell the Nickersons hello for me." Both parties hung up their phones.

Nancy slid down slightly in her seat. As the only female detective in the city, she was used to the scorn like she'd heard in the younger Hardy's voice; it was the willingness in his brother's voice that had startled her.

Sighing, she flipped the card over and over in her hands. She hardly ever helped or worked with others. Most men disliked working with a woman who was just as capable as them, so she never really participated in true criminal investigations unless she invited herself along.

_This'll be fun_, thought the pretty young detective. _And pretty easy money. _As another drawback to being a woman in a man's field, Nancy had a hard time finding work.

She opened the top drawer to the right of her desk and pulled out a folder much like the one the brothers had provided her with. At the tab on the top she wrote in _Hardy, Frank and Joe_. Then, Nancy slipped the file they had given her into the new folder.

_**-NDHB-**_

True to his word, Nancy's father called a few hours later. "Nancy Drew Investigations," Nancy greeted when the phone rang.

"Hello, Nan."

"Hello, Dad," Nancy replied. "So…what did you discover when you called your friend?"

"Getting right to work, huh, Nan. Fenton confirmed that his boys are in town on an investigation. The description you gave me matches that of Fenton's sons." Carson explained, "I think you're dealing with the real McCoy."

"Thanks, Dad."

Carson grinned, "Sure, Nancy. But are you sure you want to take this case? It sounds like it has already led to a lot of trouble."

"I can handle it, Dad," Nancy sighed.

"All right," he agreed. "But be careful."

"I will. Goodbye, Dad."

"Goodbye, Nancy," her father replied.

Nancy hung up the phone and turned back to the case file the Hardy brothers had left. The woman who contacted them was well-to-do, so it stood to reason that she would have contacts in the higher circles here in Chicago. Nancy also had connections in the same social circles. With nothing better to do, she picked up the phone and placed a call to her friend Bess Marvin.

"Marvin residence," Mrs. Marvin greeted.

"Mrs. Marvin, hello. This is Nancy. Is Bess in?" Nancy asked.

"Yes. Hold on a moment. I'll call her." Nancy heard the phone clunk down on the phone table. She heard shuffling as Mrs. Marvin moved away from the table and distant murmuring. Nancy assumed the talking was Mrs. Marvin calling Bess to come to the phone.

A few seconds later, Bess picked up the phone, "Hello, Nan!"

"Hi, Bess. How are you?" Nancy asked.

"I'm well. But that's not why you called," Bess reminded her. Bess had been friends with Nancy since they were both young girls. Along with her cousin George, Bess was Nancy's best friend. She had also long dealt with Nancy's affinity for investigations. Of course, she would know that Nancy did not call just to chat.

"I have an interesting case." Nancy added, "It might involve someone from the Club or a relative of someone there."

Bess sighed, "Well, who do I need to look for?"

"A woman. She is about twenty-four. Tall. Auburn hair and blue eyes," Nancy read from the file on her desk. "She was going by the name Julia Smith in New York."

"There's a Julia Adams who just moved back to town," Bess said. "She matches your description. I met her and her mother last night at the Club. They are friends of Dave's parents."

"Good," Nancy paused to write down that information. "Do you know if she was staying with her mother?"

"No. She told me she was staying at the Burnham. She talked about the room service for an hour!"

"Thank you, Bess. This is very helpful."

"Yes. I know." Bess reminded her, "While you are working so diligently on this case do remember that you have dinner with Ned and his family tonight."

Nancy glanced at the clock on top of the filing cabinet. It was already five-fifteen. She was supposed to leave at five to make it to the suburb of River Heights in time for supper. "I have to go Bess."

"Goodbye, Nan."

Nancy quickly hung up the phone. She rushed around the office gathering files to take with her tonight. She stuffed those in her handbag. She then grabbed her jacket and hat from the coat rack and hurried to her vehicle.

_**-NDHB-**_

By driving over the speed limit and taking every short-cut she knew, Nancy arrived at the Nickerson house just in time. She hurried to the door, fixing her windblown hair on the way. She paused a moment to catch her breath then knocked demurely on the door.

The housekeeper opened it almost immediately. She took Nancy's things and showed Nancy to the sitting room.

"Nancy," Mrs. Nickerson greeted coming over to hug her.

Nancy hugged the woman back; she tried not to choke on the overpowering smell of her perfume. "Good Evening, Mrs. Nickerson. Mr. Nickerson," she greeted. "My father sends his regards."

Mr. Nickerson asked, "He is doing well?"

"Yes," Nancy replied. "He's fine. Is Ned not here yet?"

Mrs. Nickerson shook her head, "He called earlier to say that he would be running late."

The three lapsed into slightly uncomfortable silence. Though Nancy had been dating Ned since her junior year, she had never been comfortable alone with his parents. Neither of them were comfortable with her career: they were not really comfortable with her _having_ a career. Mrs. Nickerson had mentioned multiple times that she was sure Nancy would see no reason to work once she and Ned married and started a family.

Of course, for them to get married, Ned would have to propose. After three years of courting, he had not yet even mentioned marriage.

_**-NDHB-**_

**A/N: **Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter out. I thought I hadn't even posted the first chapter and the last time I went through my stories to clean them up, it wasn't listed.

~ladybug1115


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Frank woke up with the sun their second day in Chicago. It had surprised him when they arrived at the PI's office yesterday only to discover the man they thought they would find was a woman. Not only was she a woman, but she was young. She was only about his age, but she was already in business for herself. That was what he found most odd about the situation.

Frank climbed out of the bed. Joe would sleep for awhile yet; he was not a morning person. But Frank was and he wanted to get the day started. He quickly washed and dressed before heading out to find food.

As he enjoyed his coffee and breakfast, he thought over the case. The woman had used them to find some money; the money was not hers, but she took it and fled. With much work, he and Joe tracked her here. But now, they were stuck. Neither brother had a way to track her further. They had shown her photograph to the police and to various desk clerks at the better hotels in the city; none of the clerks would divulge patron information to them. If this private investigator had no information, they would truly have been duped. If they could just recover the stolen money and capture the thief, they could regain some of their pride.

After breakfast, he headed back to the hotel. First, he called his father in Bayport to update him on their efforts. Then, he called Miss Drew's office. She was not in, but as it was just barely seven, he was not that surprised.

He pulled a book out and waited for Joe to wake up.

At eight Joe stumbled out of bed to get ready for the day. While he went to find breakfast, Frank placed another call to Miss Drew.

"Nancy Drew Investigations," she greeted.

"Miss Drew? This is Frank Hardy," he said.

"Good morning, Mr. Hardy. How are you?"

Frank blinked. He was not expecting to be asked about his well-being; he had expected her to get right to the case. "I'm well. How are you?"

"I am also doing well," she replied.

Frank cleared his throat, "I was calling to see when you wanted to meet."

He heard some papers shuffle over the line. Nancy told him, "I'm free all morning."

"Joe and I can come over now, if that's fine with you?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "That's fine. I'll see you both soon."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mr. Hardy."

_**-NDHB-**_

Frank and Joe took a taxi-cab to Miss Drew's office building. On the way, they again went over what they knew about the woman in question and the missing money. "By the way," Frank added. "Dad received a call from his friend Carson Drew yesterday. Apparently, Miss Drew asked her father to check our story."

"Wish we had done that with That Woman," Joe grumbled.

Frank turned to look out the window to hide his grin from Joe. He was taking the woman's deception harder than Frank was. Yes, it annoyed Frank that they had been deceived; but he thought it would be better to move on and find her than dwell on their mistakes.

When they arrived at the office building, Frank paid the driver.

"I still don't know if I like working with this girl," Joe said.

"Dad told me that she's worked some difficult cases," Frank told his younger brother. "He was glad that we're working together."

Joe grumbled something that Frank probably glad he didn't catch.

He opened Miss Drew's office door with a quietly muttered, "Play nice," at his brother.

Miss Drew looked up from the work spread out on her desk. "Good morning," she smiled at them both.

"Good morning," Frank replied.

"Can you help us or not?" Joe demanded.

Nancy ducked her head; Frank was pretty sure she was hiding a grin. "Yes, I can," she replied. "Why don't you both have a seat," she gestured toward the chairs in front of her desk.

Frank removed his hat as he took a seat. Joe did the same. "So?" Joe asked in the same demanding tone, "What do you suggest we do?" He ignored the glare Frank shot at him.

Miss Drew did not bother to hide her chuckle or grin this time. "Would you like anything to drink?" she offered.

Joe glared at her, "I just want to get down to business!"

Nancy blinked, but ignored him as she turned to the older brother, "Mr. Hardy, would you like anything to drink?"

Frank couldn't help grinning back at her. She was annoying his brother purposely and it was fun to watch. "No. Thank you, though," he replied. In a much nicer tone of voice than his brother, he asked, "What do you suggest we do to find her?"

"Well, I called a friend last night; she thinks she may know your Miss Smith."

"Really?" Joe leaned forward and his hat slid off his knee. He picked it up.

"Where is she?" Frank asked.

Miss Drew leaned back in her chair. "My friend thinks that she met her and her mother a few nights ago at the Country Club. She matches the description you provided," she gestured toward a file on the desk, "but, she was going by the name Julia Adams. She introduced her mother as Megan Adams."

Joe sighed, "This is great, but it doesn't give us much to go on."

"Unless we can stake out the Club," Frank said.

"Or," Nancy suggested, "we could go to her hotel and ask if anyone there has seen her. My friend mentioned that Miss Adams spoke at length about the room service there."

Joe blinked in surprise, "You know where she's staying?"

"The Burnham."

"Well," Joe said – Frank could detect the slightest bit of admiration in his voice –"I guess we should head over there."

Miss Drew glanced at the clock on top of her filing cabinets. "We have a little bit of time before lunch. My friend and your Miss Smith are meeting for lunch. My friend invited me along."

_**-NDHB-**_

Miss Drew drove them to the hotel in her new blue Ford Deluxe. They didn't talk much on the way there; which Frank thought was a good thing. Joe was doll dizzy normally; there was no telling what he'd do now that Nancy had shown what a swell girl she was. And she was gorgeous.

Miss Drew handed her keys to the valet and straightened her cap. Joe held the door for her as they entered the restaurant attached to the hotel. She nodded her thanks. The maitre d' showed them to where Miss Drew's friend was already seated.

Frank and Joe took the seats opposite the ladies. Nancy and her friend greeted each other with a hug before taking their seats. "Bess, these are my colleagues Frank and Joe Hardy. Mr. Hardy, Mr. Hardy my good friend Elizabeth Marvin," Nancy introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," Miss Marvin enthused.

"Likewise," Joe grinned.

Nancy glanced around the restaurant, "Where's Miss Adams?"

"She's probably just running a little late," Joe said. "We can give her some time."

Miss Drew and Frank exchanged glances. Joe had been chomping at the bit to get here and to catch the woman who skipped town with money that didn't belong to her; the woman who made the boys look like fools. Of course, it was probably blonde, blue-eyed, curvaceous Miss Elizabeth Marvin that Joe didn't mind spending extra time with.

They ordered drinks to pass the time. Frank and Nancy sat silently while Joe flirted with Miss Marvin. After half an hour, Frank and Nancy took their leave from their friends to ask the desk clerk to ring Miss Adams room.

They walked over to the registration desk. "How may I help you?" greeted the man behind the desk.

Miss Drew smiled sweetly at him. "My friends and I were supposed to meet another friend here for lunch; unfortunately she's a little late. Could you ring her room?"

"Certainly," he pulled the registration cards. "What is your friend's name?"

"Julia Adams," Nancy replied.

He attempted to call the room, but she did not answer. Nancy sighed, "She's probably asleep. She's a very deep sleeper. …Is there any way you could give me a key to her room, so I could go wake her?" She twirled her hair and flashed a brilliant smile at the poor man.

"Uh…" he attempted to speak.

Nancy gave him her best sad eyes look, "Please?"

"All right, for you," he practically leered at her. But he produced the key and they took the elevator up to Miss Adams floor.

"Do you do that often?" Frank asked.

"What?" Nancy replied. "The flirting? Yes, it almost always works."

"Well, I suppose they do say 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it.'"

Miss Drew laughed as she inserted the key into the lock of room 727. She knocked as she twisted the knob calling, "Miss Adams? It's Miss Marvin's friend…" she broke off as she opened the door and gasped.

She rushed into the room and knelt beside the unconscious figure of a woman. Frank followed quickly behind and knelt beside Nancy. "She doesn't have a pulse," Nancy informed him. "And she's not breathing."

Frank wasn't surprised. There was obvious bruising around her neck. He pointed it out to Nancy, "She's been strangled. Someone killed her."


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Mr. Hardy hurried out of the room to find someone to call the police. Nancy put her hands in the pockets of her jacket to stop the inclination to touch and grab things as she took a quick look around the room.

Nothing seemed out of place. _Which is odd, if Miss Adams had been strangled here_, Nancy thought. Most people did not submit to strangulation without a fight. But the room was spotless. Nothing was out of place. The closet was open. Nancy peeked in.

The safe in there was open and empty. There was also nothing in there. No luggage and there was no other place in the room to put luggage. There was not make-up for hair product out in the bathroom either. It was as if no one was actually staying in the room.

With nothing else to do, Nancy stepped into the hall to await the police. Joe Hardy appeared soon after and slipped past her into the room to look around himself. He appeared back in the hallway soon after. "There's nothing in there!" he said.

"No. There's not," Nancy agreed. "Hinky, isn't it?"

Joe sighed, "It is strange. We just can't seem to catch a break here."

Frank arrived followed by a couple of officers. He indicated the room; but, he stayed in the hall as the police officers entered the room. He leaned against the wall beside Nancy and stuck his hands in his pockets. He spoke lowly so the officers couldn't hear him, "Did you find anything?"

"No," Joe replied. "There's nothing in there."

"Anything in her bags?" he asked.

Nancy answered this time, "There weren't any bags in there."

Frank squinted at them both as though trying to decide if they were joking. He obviously decided they weren't as his forehead smoothed out and he sighed, "Nothing about this case is making sense."

_**-NDHB-**_

They answered the police officer's questions as best they could before meeting Bess in the lobby. "I just cannot believe she's dead!" Bess cried.

Nancy nodded, "Yes. She was strangled."

"That's horrible!"

Again, Nancy nodded. "Yes. You met her mother, right?"

"Nancy," Bess admonished, "A woman just died. You could try to show some respect."

"She was a thief!" Joe exclaimed.

Bess glared at him, "You don't know that."

"Hmmhmm," Nancy cleared her throat. "Bess, Miss Adams was murdered. It may or may not have had anything to do with the missing gold, but if it was connected her mother could be in danger."

Mr. Frank Hardy nodded, "Whoever killed Miss Adams may believe that Miss Adams told her mother where she put the missing gold. The murderer may go after Mrs. Adams to force the location out of her."

"Oh," Bess said.

"Do you know where she is?" Joe asked.

Bess nodded, "Megan will be joining my family for dinner tonight."

The Hardy brothers and Nancy exchanged glances.

_**-NDHB-**_

Nancy smoothed the skirt of her dress as she walked to the Marvin's front door. After they left the hotel, Nancy had returned to her office where she called Ned. He was disappointed that she had to cancel their date and they fought.

Nancy sighed and attempted to put her personal problems out of her head. _Tonight is about work_, she reminded herself. With another sigh, she knocked on the Marvin's door. After her talk with Ned, she called Bess to ensure Megan Adams was still planning to attend dinner. As far as Bess knew she was, so Nancy continued with her plan to attend.

The housekeeper answered the door and escorted Nancy to the sitting room. Mrs. Adams was already seated beside Bess. Bess quickly introduced Nancy to Megan Adams. The group chatted about inconsequential things until the maid announced dinner.

Bess had worked her magic; Nancy and Megan were at the end of the table away from the other members of the dinner party. "You look sad," Nancy commented.

"Oh, no," replied Mrs. Adams, "I'm doing quite well. How are you? Bess said you had lunch with my daughter today?"

Nancy blinked at the other woman, confused. _Does she not realize her daughter is dead_? "No. We planned to, but she never arrived. I must say, you don't look old enough to have a daughter my age."

"Thank you, dear. Did you look for her? Sometimes she sleeps late…often she sleeps late."

"We called her room, but there was no answer."

Conversation petered out. The quiet gave Nancy a chance to observe to woman. She really did not look old enough to be mother to a woman Nancy's age. She looked to be thirty-one at the oldest. Not old enough to have a twenty-four year old daughter. She also was not distressed at all. She appeared calm; there was no sign she had learned of her only daughter's murder a few short hours ago. Nancy began to suspect there was more to this woman than she was telling.

"You know," Nancy started, "as we were leaving the dining room, Bess and I saw quite a few police officers. Did your daughter tell you what happened?"

"She did not mention anything to me," Megan answered.

Megan turned to Bess who had been trying to ignore her all evening to give Nancy a chance to talk and began a conversation. Nancy had no choice but to turn to Bess's fiancé and begin a conversation of her own. She did not have a chance to speak to Megan again throughout the party.

_**-NDHB-**_

After dinner, Nancy drove back to her office to meet the brothers. Half way there, she became aware that someone was tailing her. "I wish I had some way to call for help right from my car," she complained as she sped up in an attempt to lose the other car.

The other car sped up as well. Nancy took a right turn much faster than she normally would then took the next right and was almost rear-ended. The other car was still behind her. With no other option at this point, Nancy continued to her office. Hopefully the brothers would be outside and could help her if the other person confronted her.

She parallel parked with expertise. As she attempted to exit her vehicle, the car that had been following her almost ran her over. She dove back into her car just in time.

Once the car turned the far corner, Nancy scrambled from her car and hurried toward the office building. The brother's were both in her office when she unlocked the door.

"How's doing'?" Joe asked.

Nancy opened the filing cabinet and placed her purse inside. "Well," she sighed, "I was followed by someone who nearly ran me over outside, so…"

"What!" Frank exclaimed, jumping from his chair. "Are you all right?"

Nancy nodded and sank into her chair. "I'm not even scratched."

Joe sank back into his chair beside Frank, "Did you recognize the driver?"

"No."

"Did you learn anything from Mrs. Adams?" Joe asked.

"I learned that she does not look old enough to have a twenty-four year old daughter," Nancy replied. She then went on to explain her other suspicions about Megan Adams.

_**-NDHB-**_

Around ten o'clock as Nancy was locking the door to her office, Megan Adams walked in. She appeared to be distressed; her eyes were red-rimmed and her breathing was uneven.

She threw herself into the client chair in front of Nancy's desk and began sobbing.

Nancy sighed. She went over to her desk and drew out her extra handkerchief. She handed it to Megan; placing an arm around the distressed woman, Nancy asked, "What happened?"

"My baby is dead!" she sobbed.

"I'm so sorry," Nancy patted her on the back.

Megan attempted to pull her emotions back under control, "I want you to find the man responsible for her death."


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Frank walked down to the front desk after he woke at his normal early hour in the morning. "Any messages?" he asked the clerk.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Hardy," the man replied handing over a slip of paper.

"Thank you," Frank replied.

He took the message to the dining room so he could have some privacy as he read it. It was from Nancy Drew. _New development involving the mother_, he read to himself. _Meet at my office in the morning_. It had been taken at eleven-twenty last night. Frank left the dining room without bothering to order.

He took the stairs two at a time up to the room. There was a break in the case and he wanted to meet with Nancy to discuss it.

Joe was still asleep, of course, when Frank made it back to their room. Frank shook his brother awake.

"Wahh?" Joe asked as he attempted to cover his head with the extra pillow.

Frank flipped on the bedside lamp, "Nancy talked to Megan Adams after we left last night. She found something and wants us to meet her at her office."

"Nancy?" Joe questioned.

Frank blushed, but did not admit that he had breached the unspoken agreement to keep this strictly professional by only using family names. Joe did not like that a female was a detective of Nancy Drew's reputation. He felt that detective work was a profession for men not the fairer sex.

"Just hurry, so we can find out what she knows," Frank replied.

They waved down a taxi to take them to Nancy Drew's office.

Frank knocked on her office door as they entered. She looked up from her file and smiled a greeting at the brothers.

Joe sank into one of the chairs on the other side of the desk from Miss Drew. "So," he said, "what did you discover?"

Frank took the chair beside Joe at Nancy's wave. She passed the file across the desk to him. Joe leaned close to read it as well.

"She hired me to find the person who murdered her daughter," Nancy explained. "She claims Miss Adams is her daughter and that the young woman came home with a bag of gold that Mrs. Adams now has possession of. I don't believe her."

"You already told us you don't think that she could be the young Miss Adams mother," Joe reminded her.

Nancy shook her head, "I meant that I don't believe Mrs. Adams has the bag of gold."

"Why would she mention it if it was not significant," Frank said.

Nancy smiled, "Exactly. If her daughter gave her a bag to hold, then she should not have looked in it. She would have no reason to mention the bag unless it was important in her daughter's murder. Even then she would not have mentioned it if she wanted to keep the gold."

"Have you been to her home?" Frank asked.

"No," Miss Drew replied, "but Bess gave me directions to her house earlier this morning. We need to look around there. I think we also need another look at the hotel room."

"Frank and I need to find the bag of gold, confirm it was the one that went missing, then return it. It's not our job to solve a murder," Joe informed her.

"All right," Nancy replied. "Then my case load just became too big for me to continue helping you on this case. I suppose I might run into you gentlemen again." She came around from behind her desk and opened her door for the men.

Joe stood and placed his hat back on his head, "We'll need that address."

"I don't divulge privileged client information."

"Look, honey," Joe started, "We're trying to solve a very important case here."

Miss Drew smiled, "So am I. I still do not divulge client information. You boys can go solve your case; I have work to do." She gestured to the door as a clear indication that they should both leave.

Frank stood as well, but he was not yet willing to stop working with Nancy Drew; it was clear to him the cases were most probably linked. He glanced at Joe, "Miss Drew, it is my belief that your murder case and our stolen gold case may be linked."

She turned from glaring at Joe to look him in the eyes, "And?"

"Splitting at this point in the investigation seems premature," Frank explained.

"What? Joe exclaimed. "Frank, this girl can't be of any help to us. We can get the address ourselves and solve this!"

"We may be able to," Frank replied, "but we can have this case solved much faster if we all work together."

Joe leaned close and whispered so that Nancy could not hear what he said next, "You may have the hots for the lady, but someone like her is not looking to get serious. No reason waste your time trying to please her."

Frank frowned, "We should go to the hotel before they clean it."

_**-NDHB-**_

After much more arguing by Joe, Nancy drove the boys to Megan's house. Nancy and Frank were to distract Megan by questioning her about her daughter while Joe searched the house for clues.

When they arrived at the house, however, everyone was out. Frank popped the lock and gestured for Nancy and Joe to enter first. "Where would you hide a big bag of gold?" Joe asked.

Nancy shrugged and unbuttoned her overcoat, "Somewhere the help is not going to search."

Frank and Joe had not grown up with servants, so they could not say where the staff would or would not look. They decided to start with the top floors and work their way down. There was nothing in the guest bedrooms and nothing in what appeared to be Miss Adams's bedroom. There was also nothing in the master suite or the second bathroom.

The searched quickly through the kitchen and living room. There was nothing there. The office was the last room they searched and they took their time.

Nancy found an interesting note in the desk that proved Miss Adams was Mrs. Adams sister. Mrs. Adams name was also not Megan Adams, but Marie Anderson. Miss Anderson had previously been accused of murdering her fiancé. She had hired a gumshoe from Washington D.C. who got her off the hook by proving her alibi was true and strong.

Her sister whose real name was Trish Anderson, wrote that she was glad her sister had been proven innocent and Trish added she would be able to visit her sister soon. She was about to come into a great sum of money. The letter was dated two months ago; the copy of the letter from Marie did not explain why Marie wanted her sister to use a false identity, but it did give Julia/Trish her new name and relationship to Marie.

They did not find the missing moolah.

They also did not find any other evidence of crime, so they put Megan/Marie's things back where they were when the trio came in.

_**-NDHB-**_

Nancy drove them to the hotel where Trish/Julia was staying. She picked the lock this time while Joe attempted to superstitiously time her. Nancy saw, but she decided not to say anything. He could doubt her abilities all he wanted; she knew what kind of gumshoe she was: the best. She beat his brother's time.

She knocked as she pushed open the door calling, "Housekeeping!"

No one was inside. The trio split up to look over the room. "Why would Marie change her name?" Joe wondered aloud. "Where did she move from?"

Nancy shrugged as she looked through the closet. It was still bare; there were only a few hangers on the bar. There wasn't even a safe, which Nancy found strange. Most rooms had safes for valuables. _The police may have taken it_, she thought.

"I never heard of any Marie Anderson connected to any murders," Frank replied. "It could have happened anywhere but Bayport; we would have heard of it."

"It didn't happen in River Heights either," Nancy added. At their questioning looks she added, "River Heights is my home-town. My good friend George still lives there."

Nancy returned to her perusal of the closet. It seemed like it should be deeper; she sat back on her heels to more thoroughly observe the outside. The closet should have gone back another foot. Thinking it might be plumbing access, she tapped on the wall. It was hollow.

She tapped slightly more to the left and hit a dull spot. It might be plumbing, but it might also be important. She pulled on the lower bar to help herself turn on her heels so she could talk to the brothers: the wall in front of her sprang open!

Her gasp of surprise called the boys over to her. "Miss Drew," called Frank Hardy, "what is it?"

Nancy scooted on her backside so she could open the wall fully. There was a safe hidden behind the wall. It was a combination lock.

"Dang," whistled Joe, "you might not be so useless, honey."

Nancy hated to admit defeat, but she took forever to open combination locks. "Can either of you crack this in under five minutes?" she asked.

Frank scooted into the closet beside her, "I can try."

After four minutes with his ear pressed to the safe, Frank finally succeeded in opening it. Inside the safe glittered stacks of gold. "This is our stuff," Frank informed the group as he pulled a coin out with his handkerchief.

"Marie never had it," Nancy added.

"Why would she say she did?" Joe asked peering into the safe.

Nancy and Frank traded a glance. "I don't know," they replied in unison.

Joe looked between them, "That's weird."

"Is it all there?" Nancy asked.

Frank shrugged, "We'll have to count it; however, it looks like it is. Do you have something we can put it in?"

Nancy slid her handbag off her shoulder and opened it. She rummaged around for a few moments before pulling out a cloth sack. She offered it to Frank, "I don't know if it will hold up to the weight, but you're welcome to use it."

"Thanks," he took the bag from her and began carefully putting the gold into it. There job was to get it back to its owners; there was no reason to inform the police because they did not know about it.

As Frank put the money in the bag, Joe and Nancy resumed their search of the room. "Nothing in the desk," reported Joe.

"Really?" an unknown woman replied. "Joseph Hardy right?" She didn't wait for an answer, "Turn around please."

He turned slowly. Nancy's arms were raised above her head, palms facing the woman who Joe assumed was Megan/Marie; she had a gun aimed at Frank's head. Frank was still kneeling beside the bag of gold. Slowly, Joe raised his hands.

Megan/Marie turned her weapon on Joe. "Good. No sudden movements, please gentlemen. Mr. Hardy," she turned her attention to Frank, "scoot that bag toward me now. Nice and slow."

Frank slowly moved the bag – and himself – closer to the woman. He was dragging Nancy's handbag with him.

"So you were just using me to find the gold?" Nancy demanded.

Megan/Marie turned slightly to face Nancy. "Yes. Quite smart of me wasn't it? It was my idea for Trish to steal it too. That serviceman was such an idiot; he had no idea what he had, but Trish recognized it and she told me all about it. Of course, she couldn't keep the secret to herself…she just made more enemies for herself. My plan is simple – get the Hell out of the States and tell no one about the money."

"So you killed you sister to get the money all to yourself?" Joe asked.

Nancy, however, shook her head, "No; she couldn't kill her own sister."

"You hired it done, then?" inquired Joe keeping track of Frank's approach. If he could just get closer to her! _And what is he doing with Drew's bag_? he thought.

Before Megan/Marie could answer, her eyes glassed over and she slumped to the floor – bullet hole visible in her head.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Nancy let out a muffled "Eep" when the gun fired. Then, like Joe and Frank, she flung herself flat on the ground.

"All of you up," the dark-haired man ordered. "You," he gestured to Frank, "grab the gold. Do not make any sudden movements."

Frank did as he was told. He slowly moved toward the bag Nancy had provided earlier that Frank had put his gold into. He took Nancy's purse along and dropped it as close to her as he could. He picked up the bag and headed back toward their visitor with the weapon aimed at Nancy Drew. The dark-haired man held up his other hand in a clear _stop_ signal. Frank froze.

"Hand the bag to Miss Drew," he said.

Joe scoffed and it drew the man's attention away from Nancy. She took the opportunity to grab something from her bag and shove it down the back of her skirt. Joe kept the man's attention away from the woman by talking, "You think she can carry that bag? I guess I'm assuming you know what's in there? It's too heavy for her to carry; she's just a woman."

The man turned his attention back to Miss Drew. "Mr. Hardy," he instructed, "put that bag into Miss Drew's handbag and give them both to Miss Drew."

Frank had to dump Nancy's handbag contents on the floor to make room for all the pilfered gold. Frank passed the gold now hidden in the handbag to Nancy. Joe fell silent.

The man turned his attention away from Nancy again, but his weapon remained trained on the young woman. "Wait fifteen minutes before you call the police. If I hear or see them before that, I'll kill the girl."

With little choice, the brothers watched the man march Nancy out of the hotel room with his gun trained superstitiously on her.

_**-NDHB-**_

Inside the hotel room, Frank and Joe traded a glance. They began following the man as he left with Nancy. On the way out, Frank knelt down and scooped up Nancy's keys.

The brothers were not waiting for the police to arrive and they did not trust them to arrive quietly. They were both armed – if it came to a gunfight they had the better odds.

They paused in the lobby and observed the man give a ticket to the valet at the kiosk. "Stay here. Watch him," Frank commanded. He took off down the street toward the side street Nancy had parked on. She had not wanted to valet park in case they were spotted breaking and entering and needed to make a quick get-a-way.

Joe continued to watch the man hold his weapon on Nancy Drew. The valet returned too quickly with his car. Joe looked around. "Come on, Frank," he whispered. "Where are you?"

The criminal shoved Nancy into his vehicle and ran around to the driver's side before she had a chance to escape. Joe couldn't see it; but, from the way he drove with his left hand, the man still held his weapon on Drew.

As the man sped away, Frank pulled up at the curb. Joe jumped into the car with him and they sped off in pursuit of the criminal and their friend.

_**-NDHB-**_

No one met them in the hallway and the concierge did not look up as Nancy and the mysterious gunman passed them. He handed a card to the valet and wrapped his arm around Nancy. His weapon dug into her side under her jacket. "Smile, honey," he said. "Pretend you like me."

Nancy grimaced in an attempt at a smile. The gold weighted down her bag and it dug into her shoulder, but she didn't want it on her right arm. She needed her dominant hand to more quickly reach the weapon she had hidden at the small of her back. She shifted away from the man in an attempt to keep him away from her back. She didn't need him finding her weapon until they were away from any civilians.

The valet arrived quickly with the car. Nancy looked around for a quick place to duck away from the man; there was no place that she could reach quickly. However, in her attempt to find cover, she spied her car creeping around the corner toward the hotel.

The man shoved her none too gently into his vehicle; then, before she had a chance to jump from the car, he was inside with his weapon once again pointing in her direction. Also, her only real weapon was trapped between the seat and her body.

She chanced a glance in the side-view mirror; the Hardy brothers were still behind her in her vehicle.

Nancy turned to the man currently holding her hostage, "Why are you doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious, sweetheart?" he asked. "I want the gold. Do you know how much this is worth? And that stupid bitch lead me right to it," he looked over at her, his gaze slid down her chest, "if you'll pardon my language, Miss."

Nancy shrugged, "I've heard worse in my line of work. …Which woman led you to the gold Julia or Megan?" Nancy glanced in the mirror again to assure herself the boys were still tailing them.

"It was Trish that first led me here to Chicago. I followed her from San Francisco after she killed that guy of hers. And she did kill him; she told me when we were lovers. But she didn't want to split the moolah with me, so I knocked her off," he explained. "Then Marie thought the gold should be hers; she wouldn't tell me where Trish hid it, so I followed her."

"You nearly ran me over."

He glanced at her, "Sorry about that. I thought you were Marie."

"What? Why did you want to kill her?"

He shrugged, "I was annoyed that she wasn't leading me to the gold. But then she got you and those boys involved; you found the gold for me. Thank you."

"Of course," replied Nancy, "but I wasn't looking for the gold. I was just showing the boys around the city; they were supposed to find the gold."

"Well you must be a better detective, then."

Nancy fell silent as he turned off the main road. He was taking her to a run-down part of the city that Nancy would not usually feel safe wandering around after dark alone. He pulled down an alleyway, "Time to get out; no funny stuff. I can still shoot you."

He exited the car at the same time as Nancy and kept the gun trained at her chest as much of the time as he could. She still had no chance of escape. But she wasn't ready to pull her own weapon until she knew the odds were in her favor.

He forced her to walk into an abandoned warehouse. She needed a way to distract him so that she could draw her weapon before he noticed what she planned to do.

He led her to the other end of the warehouse to an office. "Sit," he ordered.

Nancy sank into the chair behind the desk and dropped the bag of gold beside her. When the man turned to lock the door, she pulled the weapon from the small of her back and hid it in her lap under the desk. Now she needed a distraction so she could unarm him; Nancy did not want to shoot him. It was her last resort move.

After locking the door he turned back to Nancy, "Give me your arm."

Nancy held out her left hand. He grabbed her roughly and began to tie her arm to the arm of the chair. "What is your plan now?" Nancy asked.

"If you cooperate, I'm going to leave you here while I take the money and get out of town," he replied. "This building was just bought; someone will be along in a few days to find you."

Nancy nodded. "Why aren't you going to kill me like you killed Marie?"

"Marie deserved to die; she was a murderess. You're a good girl," he answered. "You might be a little misguided in your choice of career, but I think this might give you pause to reconsider and become more of a woman."

Nancy did not know how to reply to that so she simply said, "Thank you."

"See," he patted her hand as he moved around the desk to tie her other arm, "you're a good girl."

Once she was secured to the chair, he grabbed the bag of gold and quickly walked across the warehouse to his car.

_**-NDHB-**_

Frank parked Nancy's car on the street in front of the warehouse. He and Joe climbed out of the car. "I'll take the left," Joe said as he walked that way around the warehouse.

Frank placed his hat on his head and headed to the opposite side of the building. He and Joe had followed the criminal holding Nancy hostage here; he had pulled into an alley and stopped, so Frank circled the block and pulled to the curb in front of the warehouse. Now they had to find the criminal and Nancy Drew.

They met up on the opposite side of the building. Joe shook his head, "The car's abandoned over in the alley. Did you see anything?"

Frank shook his head too, "No. We need to check inside then we can expand our search."

Joe twisted the handle on the back door. The two crept through the door quietly in case the man was inside. Frank held up a hand when he heard voices. They paused. With a glance at Frank, Joe sprinted across the empty room to a windowed room that appeared to be some kind of office. He peeked inside. There was Nancy and the suspect.

Joe turned around so his back was to the window and gestured to Frank. Frank kept his head low and ran across the room to kneel beside Joe.

He peeked into the room as well. The suspect was tying Nancy to a chair. He ducked back down; they needed a plan to get Nancy out of there safely.

Frank was about to suggest they move back where they could talk when the man exited the office with the bag of gold. With his usual rash behavior, Joe ran to the man and tackled him to the ground. Frank ran into the office to help Nancy get free; she had her weapon on her somewhere and as the man was still armed, they needed her weapon.

As he entered the office, he saw Nancy already had one hand out of the ties. She glanced up when she heard him. "Mr. Hardy!" she exclaimed. Her free hand slid under the desk and came up with her weapon. She tossed it to Frank.

He hesitated in the doorway.

Nancy saw his hesitation and guessed at the reason, "I'm good. Go help your brother."

Frank turned back to the main room. Joe and the criminal were still grappling over the man's weapon. The weapon discharged with a _bang_.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

The _bang_ of the gun firing echoed through the warehouse. Frank expected Joe to slump to the ground, dead; he didn't. Both men continued to grapple over the weapon.

"Stop," Frank shouted. He pointed Nancy's gun at the other man. The criminal paused when he caught sight of the weapon; it gave Joe enough time to catch him in a hold.

The weapon the criminal had been holding flew across the room when Joe tackled him again. Nancy dashed across after it. She picked it up from the floor and held it expertly pointed at the man. With two weapons aimed at him, he surrendered.

Police sirens sounded in the distance; someone must have heard the shooting and called for the police.

_**-NDHB-**_

After answering questions from two detectives and the chief of police, the Hardy brothers and Nancy Drew retired to her office. The brothers had to wait until tomorrow to regain possession of the gold; then they could return it and themselves to New York.

Nancy explained to the brothers what the man-identified by the police as Arvin Medlberry-had told her on the ride to the warehouse, "So he killed Julia because she was a killer. Then he used us to track down Marie and the money. He killed Marie; his plan was to use me to escape from you then to leave me in the warehouse and escape out of the country. He told me that someone would find me in a few days. The police said Marie was also believed to be the killer of her finacé, like Julia; Mr. Medlberry said something that makes me think that might be true."

"We solved three murders, maybe four, and a robbery," Joe explained. "That's not too bad for a few days work."

"Or for a woman," replied Nancy tartly, "right, Mr. Hardy?"

Joe grinned, "You're not that bad of a detective. We're better though," he gestured to himself and the other Mr. Hardy.

"With all we've been through, you should probably call us by our Christian names," Frank added.

"If you call me Nancy," the woman replied.

"This, I'm sure, is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship, Nancy," Joe stated.

Nancy laughed, "You might be right, Joe. But I hope not to see you two soon. You bring too much trouble to my sleepy little town."

They traded stories about their various cases for an hour before Nancy rose. She placed her hat on her head and secured it with a pin, "If you gentlemen will walk me out? I have a dinner date."

Nancy was in time to have dinner with Ned and his family; maybe they could work out the problems he had with her working. If not, well…she had some new friends who weren't horrible to look at.

Frank locked the door, but held it open for his brother and Nancy to exit. He closed it behind the trio as they left the building.


End file.
